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So, the review mentions foraging through a house, quests and side quests, but what's the actual gameplay like? Is this a real time resource gathering and exploration game? Is there combat and, if so, how is it handled? The mention of trying to shoot wolves left me wondering how that works.

In other words, I know the game is a bit of a mess but the theme sounds interesting to me. That said, the review doesn't tell me whether the gameplay will be enjoyable for me afterwards as I still don't know what the moment to moment gameplay is like. Reply+7

The game has merit. The tutorial adventure has quite a few fun matches. And it uses a dual lane system where minions in one half of the screen generally can't attack those in the other half. Sounds simple, but adds quite a bit of thinking on where you want to play the next minion and how to deal with an enemy minion in an inadequately protected lane. Then one lane also often grants minions stealth on the turn they are played.

All in all, even for those who have played quite a bit of Hearthstone, there is still a learning curve to this game. And the Elder Scrolls lore is something I enjoy.

But yes, it's also eerily similar in other ways to other ftp card games out there. Reply+5

One comment about the review text specifically. I'm having a really hard time parsing the start of this paragraph: "Completing all of the trials on an island will grant you a battle with that island's Kahuna, meanwhile. Powerful trainers who maintain a close bond with their island's respective guardian Pokťmon, the Tapu, island Kahunas are also some of the best things about Sun and Moon. "

@UKRaver1980 because that one price gives you access to both the PC and console version, I'd guess. So MS can't open the loophole of selling the PC version much cheaper. But that's just a guess. Reply+5

@timeless001 Unique accounts, I'd think. That's the most sensible and easiest way to distinguish, since you need to be logged in to play. Means some are probably alt accounts, but it doesn't take away from the impressive numbers, since they are actively played. Reply0

Agree with the other comments. This is a nicely priced game that's a ton of fun and addictive (one more try). The fact everything you do is also ranked against global and local rankings also makes it very satisfying when you manage to improve your track time.

We played the beta last weekend and took turns trying to beat track times in the online mode. So much fun. And seeing all the other ghosts racing around adds to the competitiveness. Reply+5

LoL is pretty much impenetrable to newcomers. The number of champions and the importance of itemisation, masteries mean that a new player has got a big wall to climb before they can really start understanding the game.

But you don't need to understand everything to get started. Your first dozen games will likely be against beginner bots. The next few dozens against intermediate bots. You'll make mistakes and die, but there isn't that much pressure.

I think the reason LoL is so big is its incredibly large number of players and, consequently, friends getting more friends into the game and teaching them the ropes. But yeah, as has been mentioned above, the friends have got to be willing to play those introductory games with you and explain what's what.

Speaking as someone over 40 who is not into PvP at all, I started playing LoL last November and am completely addicted to the game. I use my commute to read the summonerschool reddit, I watch competitive matches and, if I want to pick up a new champion, I just google a guide, read up on their skills and what items to use. Then I make an item set in game. The first few fames are just practice and, slowly, as I get to understand how the champion works, I can deviate from the rote formula.

One thing about League is that it's not all about fast reflexes. The game is a strategy game at heart. What do you build? Can you read the map, play as a team, try to conquer objectives and slowly dismantle the other team.

As for raging and swearing there is some. Not all games, but I don't play ranked yet. There is more there. But then again, there is also a mute button and a report function. If someone gets mouthy, mute them and play the game without worrying about them. I guess it also helps that, as a... mature person, I don't get into shouting matches and always try to keep the team working together.

Ultimately though, LoL is big because, once you finally manage to climb that huge starting wall and get a better understanding of the game, it's a ton of fun, caters to the player's competitive urges or the desire to play with friends (the dynamic queue lets you queue up with 1 to 4 friends) and it's got tons of depth. I'll be learning new champions and discovering new strategies for years. It's not all about the killing, it's about the playing smart. Reply0

@CardCaptorKaren Small correction, the semis are taking place in Belgium (I'll be there. I'm 44. It's never too late, especially when your son is an avid player :) ).

LoL is not an easy game to just watch championships for without context. So many champions, strategies, so much lingo. But it's a pretty exciting one once you get into it.

Especially this year where China and Korea aren't doing as well as expected and some European and North American teams are exceeding expectations. It makes for a lot of meaningful and tense matches where the outcome really matters.

But unless you get to know the people playing (Riot released a 6 parts documentary called Road to Worlds to introduce some of the teams and players) and understand what's going on, it's pretty tough to jump into.

I wonder how the BBC will deal with that without compromising the depth of the coverage.

Do take a peek at Worlds streams if you are curious about the game though. There is a lot more slaughtering of the opponent and team fighting than in darts or snooker. :) Reply+3

The best thing about it is that it's not only great as a trip down nostalgia lane. My kids are aged 8 to 17 and they too have been having a blast trying out games in the collection. From slalom, to 4 player RC pro am 2 races to Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Viva PiŮata and the Banjo games, they've been having a ton of fun these last few days.

Whether they had played the game before (VP, GbtG) or not, Rare's gameplay magic has its effect on them. They even has some fun with the old Spectrum adventure games as early Binding of Isaac precursors.

As for the 360 titles, they are yours to keep forever. So, to the poster who asked about BC, yes, they would be there waiting for you to play if/when added to the BC list. Definitely worth grabbing. Reply+5

@Tio No paywalls on the PC version. All an optional subscription gives you is an XP bonus and some Crowns to spend in their store. And there is nothing there apart from cosmetic and convenience items. Maybe mounts. But I'm pretty sure you can also save up to buy them in game.

Buy to play is like GW2. They have already received your money and don't try to nickel and dime you in NWO fashion, though they obviously love it if you spend some money.

It's a really enjoyable game (if you are not completely allergic to some of common aspects of MMOs, like sharing the world with other people who are doing the same quests you are). My wife and I have been playing it since the subscription fee was dropped on PC and having a lot of fun.

Freedom to build the character you like and to explore are big pluses. A year worth of patches have also done the game a world of good, by all accounts. I'd definitely recommend giving it a chance. Especially if you envoy the Elder Scrolls universe. Reply+5

It would be nice if EG were to revisit ESO for the console launch. Because I picked it up shortly before they dropped the subscriptions and I believe the game is much better now than when it was first released and reviewed.

A year worth of patches have been kind to it and its combat system. And the Justice system does a lot to make it feel like an Elder Scrolls game.

The world is also expansive and encourages exploration.

It might be just me. But I find it worthy of my time in its current form. By contrast, it had done nothing for me during beta before the original release. Reply+14

@avoidconfusion Quite a lot of people judging by the server population. And it's a lot more fun than it was at release (I briefly tried it back then and didn't get into it). Combat is very satisfying and the world is beautiful and you are encouraged to explore it. Reply+6

@ARumFellow Since you replied to me, were you talking about me? As I said, I love the new system. But it's only fair to encourage all views to be represented on the survey, which will help EG get a better picture of how their readership feels about it. Reply+2

It's a survey. Use it to tell EG whether you love or hate the new scoring system. I like it and said so there. But if you hate it, make sure you fill in the survey and your opinion gets accounted for in the final tally. Don't just say it here.

Same for the potential optional subscription system. Though you really should read @Oli 's comment early on which puts those questions in context:

"@Sendlinger To be absolutely clear, this is a cross-network survey. Gamer Network has a whole network of websites (including RPS, which already has a supporter program) and has an interest in this topic generally. It doesn't necessarily mean anything for the future of EG."

Again though, make sure your voice is heard whichever way you feel about it. Closing the survey does not help. Reply+6

I don't like fighting games much, but I finished Remember Me and really enjoyed it on the strength of the setting, protagonist and the too rare memory sequences. If you haven't played it (especially considering it's been on sale for a good price) or switched it off too quickly, I think you potentially missed out.

I found it a memorable game, if not a great one. But that matters to me. I love games that get stuck in my head rather than forgotten the moment they are switched off. On that strength, Dont Nod games are definitely on my watch list. I'll be looking forward to more info about this one. Reply+13

@Drendari Thanks for the end game perspective. I'm nowhere near that yet as I spend as much time sightseeing at trying to progress the game. And I really enjoy replaying earlier missions to help out payers who get stuck.

I hope the change in driving settings won't be too jarring after that much driving. I made the change after only 2 or 3 hours myself and never looked back. Try it out in test drive mode maybe and see whether you can get used to it. I'm pretty confident it will make the game handling feel better once you get used to it.

@A_FAN I personally think it is. But I am predisposed to loving open world car racers. I just love losing myself in a world.

Before I comment any further on The Crew, I need to share a tip that completely changed the game (for the better) for me: Set the driving mode to ďHardcoreĒ and the steering dead zone to 0.

Itís not about making the game more difficult or anything. But it transforms the driving model from a somewhat floaty, frustrating one to one where the car responds to your inputs without needing to whack the steering all the way to one side or the other. Give it a chance and I think youíll like the game a lot better for it. It wonít turn it into Forza or Driveclub either.

As for the game, I actually enjoy it a lot. The only reason I gave it a chance is because I have a soft spot for Test Drive Unlimited, which was a fairly unique experience and quite ahead of its time. A game by Ex-Eden folks and recommended by some friends of mine was just too hard to resist. And, on balance, Iím really glad I did.

The open world CaRPG genre is not exactly brimming with choice. And The Crew offers such a huge and varied playground. The skills and stats aspect is also well played. There is an element of grind, but doing story missions and trying out the skill challenges (which you can repeat at will) continuously lets you feel like you are upgrading your car. And it makes a difference. Beyond getting better at the driving in general, an afternoon spent sightseeing and doing challenges as they popped up helped me beat a race that was kicking my ass earlier in an edge of my seat thriller race.

And the best part of the game is the friction-less multiplayer co-op. Find a race too hard? Simply select ďquick co-opĒ instead of ďplayĒ and a call is put out to nearby players. If they join, you either get help finishing the mission (if anyone succeeds, everybody does), or company to swear vociferously at the game. :)

The quick co-op is effectively a nice drop-in / drop out group for a mission or 2. Iíve also played in a crew formed outside of missions and that was a blast. We went on a road trip, got chased by the police for being reckless drivers several time (fun times) and got some missions dusted off. Itís no big revelation that playing a game with a friendly human generally makes things more fun. And The Crew makes that really easy.

I also need to mention that I suffered 2 disconnects on Friday, but that the game has been solid ever since.

Itís graphically not as impressive as a Forza Horizon 2. But there is so much variety itís hard to hold that against it. I also like the way time passes. A minute in game time passes every 3-4 seconds it seems. This means that sunsets and sunrises linger for a while. Iíve sometimes driven cross country to the shore of a lake, simply to watch the sun rise over the water (frightening deers and foxes on the way :) ). Peaceful.

Not that it matters much based on the Face Off, but Iím playing on the Xbox One because I like the feedback you get through the triggers. It helps bring home the fact that you are losing grip. My gamertag is the same as my EG name. If you get the game and are ever stuck in a mission, Iím happy to hop in if Iím around.

@DreadedWalrus I'm in the same boat with 360 and XBox One save compatibility. My wife and I have been having a blast playing vanilla Diablo III on the 360. Here is hoping we can transfer our characters and play with the expansion on the One. I seem to remember Blizzard indicating that was on the cards. Hope it's true. There is a lot of replayability in that game. The console versions are great. Reply+1

@AgentDaleCooper What naivety? That microtransactions were coming? I think the "at launch" comments made that clear.

As for that article, I've been playing the game since it came out in February and I think the in-game reward scheme works fine. Coins come in quickly enough and it's satisfying to open the next pack.

Sure it can be frustrating (as mentioned) if you are aiming for one thing in particular.

The issue is not with the fact that the game was built with support for microtransactions in mind. It was. But whether you can't actually enjoy the game without paying money. To that, I say money is definitely NOT required and this is a great game.

Playing it is definitely more fun than reading articles about it too. :) Reply-3

@dcangel Indeed. Coins are indeed fairly easy to come by and players have had no issues buying their sticker packs and unlocking new characters since launch. The fact that some can also now buy additional coins with real money isn't a massive issue.

It will only become one if EA later gates some content behind those microtransactions. But, right now, that's absolutely not the case.

Also, we've already gotten 2 nice DLC packs for free since release.

All in all, I personally think this game remains excellent and a must buy. My kids and I enjoy it a lot.

@HowlPendragon "What the hell are four "man-months"?": Basically 4 months elapsed for one man working on a project, 2 months if 2 people are working on the project, half a month if 8 people are working on the project, ... It's a way to measure the effort put into a project which is often used in IT. Remember that GDC is a developers' conference. Reply+8

This game does indeed play very well on the XBox One. It also helps that it is very appealing graphically (colourful and lots of nice animation touches).

I got it on a whim on Saturday and the kids and I spent the rest of the weekend hooked to it. Always playing one more match, saving up for one more sticker pack.

And we had a big grin on our faces the whole time.

I can't compare it to the 360 version. But I know that if you are looking for a fun time with a multiplayer only shooter, one you can share with non hardcore gamers or with a family audience, this is proving to be a great choice. Reply+7